On the deck, besides the piled-up stones, a crowd of people had gathered. The once-empty space was now half-occupied.
"Fire the cannon! Hurry up, fire the cannon!!"
Gin commanded the pirates on the ship, transporting shells to the ship's side, firing shells at the spot where Garp had fallen, striving not to let him rise.
Boom!
But at that moment, the Black Ship shook, and a cloud of black mist exploded from the left side of the ship's hull.
That was a shell!
Whiz!
The Doghead Battleship, missing one of its masts, sailed forward, the main cannon smoking, firing dense shells straight towards the deck.
Once those shells landed, the people who had finally boarded would likely be blown away in considerable numbers.
Though this ship could withstand cannon fire, no one could predict the outcome if there were too many, especially if they landed on the deck. If they set off the munitions on board, it would indeed be troublesome.
"Tekkai!"
One of the incoming shells was ferocious, about to crash onto the deck when a figure swiftly leapt to the ship's railing, standing firmly and catching the incoming shell.
Boom!
The exploding black mist of gunpowder blew out a gust of wind in all directions. As the black mist cleared, Pearl's silhouette was visible on the railing.
He turned his head, flicked the crescent-shaped hair on his forehead, and flashed his gleaming teeth, giving everyone a thumbs-up, "I am the invincible Pearl!"
"Oh! You blockhead did it!" Renedia shouted with bright eyes.
"Yes, Lady Renedia, I..."
Pearl hadn't finished speaking when his pupils rolled back, his smiling face froze, and he swiftly collapsed onto the deck.
"Just one shot!" Renedia shouted angrily.
Whoosh!
The remaining shells continued to strike. At that moment, a nimble figure leapt from the deck. Gin swung his crutches, and with precise movements, the iron balls on his crutches hit the shells, knocking them into the sea, where they exploded in a spray of water.
"Lady Renedia, leave it to me!" Gin landed on the deck, speaking earnestly.
"Leave it to your ass! They've turned, defend quickly!" Renedia shouted.
After firing the shells from the bow, the Doghead Battleship quickly turned, aligning its side with the Black Ship.
A ship's bow and stern, due to their smaller area, obviously have fewer cannons than the sides. Though it was unclear why the Doghead Battleship hadn't fired its main cannon shells, it was obvious that the side shell barrage was overwhelmingly large!
Bam bam bam!
A series of sparks lit up along the Doghead Battleship's side, its shells turning into a black line in the air, densely charging towards the Black Ship.
With such a number, they simply couldn't defend against them all!
"Just a little more!" Renedia gritted her teeth, dropped her tool hammer, and spread her small hands open.
Over by the broken bridge, people were still jumping over. Just a little longer and they could take all the slaves from around that broken bridge. Just a little more, but now, a decision had to be made.
"Power..."
Renedia was just about to press down on the deck, but at that instant, she heard the sound of a sword swinging. She saw Lily leap to the end of the railing, lifting her rapier, and swiftly sprint. As she neared the tail end of the line of shells, she suddenly leapt, her body and sword together drawing a bright silver arc across the darkening sky, slicing through the night.
Clang!
The light extended from the tail of the shells to the front, slicing the straight line of shells in half. They exploded collectively in the air like splendid fireworks in the nighttime sky.
"Lady!"
Lily jumped to the second floor of the deck's structure, firmly shouting, "Set sail!"
In just that brief moment, all the slaves who had been jumping down landed on the deck.
With no more people rushing around the ship, Renedia flashed her tiger teeth. With sparks seemingly flying between her fingers, she slammed down hard on the deck, "Get us moving, dammit!"
Though no one was adjusting the sails or steering, the Black Ship, parked at the center of the bridge, suddenly burst forth with power, retreating into the sea, escaping the range of the battleship's aim, and quickly sailing away into the ocean.
They escaped!
They completed their mission...
Whoosh!
As soon as the words fell, a massive rock came crashing with a speed faster than a cannonball. The force of it was so intense that it created a loud bang in the air, just hearing it made one aware of its formidable power.
Bam!
Gin swiftly leaped up, twirling the iron balls on his crutches rapidly, striking the rock. The impact made Gin spit out blood as he was pushed by the rock and flew toward the deck.
Smack!!
Just before flying into the deck, Marika swiftly slapped the rock. Her arm veins bulged, and the gentle smile on her face could no longer hold as veins popped from her forehead. She gravely blocked the rock, her feet digging into the deck, pushing back and plowing a groove before finally stopping.
Marika felt her hands go slightly numb. She instinctively glanced toward the ruins of the bridge, seeing a heavily bloodied, robust figure emerge from the debris, laughing heartily: "You won't escape!"
The Doghead Battleship had already reached the center of the broken bridge by this time. Garp jumped in directly, standing on the ship's side and grabbing a cannonball to hurl forcefully towards the Black Ship.
"Fist Bone Meteorite!"
Boom!!
The cannonball hit near the ship, and amidst its explosion, the spray it kicked up was even larger than that of a cannon's shot, causing the Black Ship to rock more violently than before.
"This force..." Marika pursed her lips, "can't be stopped."
Though they could block rocks, these cannonballs, smaller in size but with greater power, couldn't be intercepted.
"Fist Bone Meteor Shower!"
Bang bang bang!
The cannonballs flew like black phantoms, like falling black meteor showers, allowing no time to react. Garp tossed one after another, hitting around the ship, creating massive splashes akin to rain, with drops falling on the deck.
Some of them even directly struck the ship's body, and the explosion's impact caused the Black Ship to sway. At this moment, it felt even more severe than in a storm.
At least in a storm, the ship could maintain some stability.
Only because the ship was sturdy, made from the best materials of the East Sea and the technology of Renedia, combined with its fast speed, those cannonballs didn't succeed.
But the ship's hit parts were obviously not matchable with ordinary cannons; there was already some damage!
"Hahaha, very sturdy, how about this then!"
Garp laughed again, producing a giant iron ball occupying half the deck from who knows where. The iron ball was also attached with a chain. As Garp swung the iron chain, the massive iron ball spun a few times in the air and then was hurled directly at the Black Ship.
The shadow cast by the iron ball also covered half the Black Ship's volume.
"No way..."
Gin stared blankly at the massive iron ball coming from above. The ball was like a doomsday shadow enveloping his entire body. If hit, half the ship would sink!
Lily bit her silver teeth, her fingers gripping the sword hilt going white, eyes boiling with intense determination, even if it meant death, she would desperately try to block!
Klaa.
Just as she was about to move, the stone ruins on the deck suddenly shifted, and with a loud bang, the entire ruin burst open, and a figure darted swiftly into the sky.
Thud!
A dull sound resonated on the iron ball, and the massive iron ball seemed to be impacted, veering off course, crashing into the sea.
Boom!!
Like a tsunami, the water wave rose as the iron ball descended, spreading around, forming a temporary surge on the sea surface.
"Oh..."
Garp exclaimed in surprise, looking at the person standing at the ship's bow, laughing: "Hahaha, you're really tough!"
Standing there was Sage.
Bogard had also appeared alongside the ship at some point, glancing at Sage opposite, and with sharp eyes widened in surprise, immediately ordered, "Fire!"
The Navy on the ship quickly moved to the cannon position, ready to fire, when suddenly their bodies froze, eyes rolling white, and they collapsed foaming at the mouth.
Bogard's eyes widened, cold sweat streaming down his face as he incredulously looked at the man standing opposite, "You..."
Even Garp lost his laughter at this moment, becoming serious.
"Old geezer..."
Sage's eyes flashed with a crimson glow that quickly faded, the flowing blackness on his fist receding like a tide, leaving a black coating on the surface gradually fading away.
He looked at the increasingly distant Garp, sneered at the corners of his mouth, showing a menacing look: "Next time we meet, I won't be this pathetic, just watch!"